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Three bombs being detonated at Makua today |
Hold your ears if you're anywhere near Makua Military Reservation today about 8 a.m..
The Army is scheduled to detonate three bombs, including a World War II 250-pounder discovered beneath an interior access road.
The other two are an 81 mm mortar round and a 106 mm anti-tank round.
In Hawai'i, people find old, unexploded ordnance in the ground like people in most states turn up old coins or other trinkets. Grenades occasionally are uncovered on beaches, and other munitions pop up in backyards.
The ordnance, most of it old, is the result of the massive military buildup before and during World War II.
Makua, in particular, has been used as a military training range since the 1920s.
The Army recently took some criticism for actions some community members felt were overly cautious in dealing with the bombs found at 4,190-acre Makua, and which forced the cancellation of the Makahiki there.
There also was confusion over a safe standoff distance, with 1,800 feet used in some references and the much shorter distance from the bombs to the installation fence used at other times.
There have been cases of death and injury from unexploded ordnance.
James O'Hare, 17, died in 1971 on the Big Island when a 40 mm grenade exploded as he attempted to dismantle it. Police said he found the grenade at the Pohakuloa Training Area.
Two Schofield Barracks soldiers were injured in 1983 on Parker Ranch land on the Big Island when an old round exploded during a military exercise.
Thomas Skipon suffered shrapnel wounds to the stomach, and Darby Holsing had shrapnel wounds to his feet. The military swept the area with metal detectors after the incident.
Hawai'i isn't the only place where munitions turn up unexpectedly.
According to the Defense Environmental Network and Information Exchange, the following incidents occurred in 2004 alone:
IN BRIEF
B-2 BOMBER FLYOVER SET FOR FRIDAY
Friday's observance of the 66th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor is scheduled to include a flyover by a military aircraft not often seen over Hawai'i: a B-2 Spirit bomber.
The batwing bomber is expected overhead just after 7:55 a.m., the time of the attack.
Four of the aircraft are deployed to Andersen Air Force Base in Guam from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri.
B-2s on deployment to Guam recently participated in the Koa Lightning exercise in which dummy 2,000-pound bombs were dropped at Pohakuloa Training Area on the Big Island.
What may not make an appearance at this year's Dec. 7 observance are four F-15 Eagles from the Hawai'i Air National Guard.
An early November crash in Missouri led to two separate groundings of A, B, C, and D models of the twin-tail fighters, and the need for inspections.
Twin-rotor Chinook helicopters were used for Veterans Day observances, and the big choppers may have to stand in again for the F-15s this Friday.
USS CROMMELIN CARIBBEAN-BOUND
The Pearl Harbor-based guided missile frigate USS Crommelin left on Nov. 27, for a six-month deployment to the Caribbean.
That location may seem a bit odd for a Pacific-based ship, but the Crommelin has operated in that region before.
Crommelin and its crew of more than 200 sailors are scheduled to transit to the U.S. Southern Command area of operations via the Panama Canal and engage in monitoring, detecting and counter-narcotics activities.
The deployment is aimed at stopping the shipment of drugs to other countries. To make that possible, Coast Guard personnel are aboard.
In 2005, the Crommelin and frigate USS Curts were part of a 75,000-pound cocaine seizure west of the Galapagos Islands.
MARINE COPTER UNIT WINS HONOR
The commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. James T. Conway, recently presented Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 363 at Kane'ohe Bay with the 2007 Commandant's Aviation Trophy.
The Marine Corps Aviation Association established the trophy in 1969 to recognizes the best overall performance and accomplishment of tasks by a Marine aviation squadron.
During an Iraq deployment, the squadron flew 4,026 hours while maintaining an 87.3 percent readiness in its aging CH-53D Sea Stallion helicopters.
Even before the deployment, the "Red Lions" helped fight fires on O'ahu, dropping tens of thousands of gallons of water.
